The Stranger
by HaveBookWillTravel
Summary: After the Winter War, Ichigo was left directionless without his powers. When his family presented him with the new VR game Sword Art Online, he figured it would be nice to get his mind off all the danger, but when SAO is revealed to be a death game governed by a crazed scientist, Ichigo will once more have to steel himself and defeat a madman with a god-complex. GEN.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This has been knocking around on my documents for a while. Not that there's a real narrative plot; it's mostly just a bunch of scenes that have Ichigo as a Player in SAO. So basically Aincrad is fucked.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own shit.

 **Warning:** Profane language, suggestive themes, and general spoiler alert for both _Bleach_ and _Sword Art Online_. You have been warned.

* * *

Ichigo

* * *

The first week or so he'd found himself stuck in a proverbial rut, having lost the abilities he'd spent his entire life wishing away. It had been a strange feeling, not having Zangetsu or the Hollow in his head, or seeing ghosts every other block as he walked through Karakura. It was at once liberating and depressing; now that Ichigo had the opportunity to step back and really look, he found that he kinda missed being able to do some of the incredible things his spirit sense allowed him. Plus, there was the fact that he was unable to see any of the friends he'd made who were living-impaired.

Oh, he knew they were around somewhere; he wouldn't put it past Rukia or Renji to mess with his head now that he was unable to sense them, and he'd seen Inoue and Chad talking to the air a few times. But he couldn't see them, or feel or hear them, and any conversation he might have with them would be almost hilariously one-sided, unless Geta-Boushi ever whipped something up for them.

Except even Urahara and the crew at the shop seemed to be avoiding him. In his most cynical moments, his mind conjured up ideas about how they had simply used him and then discarded him once he'd served his purpose, like a disposable cup. But he would always banish those thoughts. Obviously, they'd used him; the Gotei Thirteen was a sort of military service, and what were soldiers but disposable weapons thrown against the enemy? He was the one who'd shoved his way into their business by rescuing Rukia and then kept at it when the Bounts and later the zanpakuto rose up against Seireitei, so he shouldn't be surprised when they treated him as a member of their forces when he'd given them no cause to think he might not want to be.

Geta-Boushi had used him as well, but that was his standard _modus operandi_. He was a manipulator through and through, whether he did it consciously or not. Ichigo was just glad it had been Aizen who'd snapped and not Urahara; if the (only slightly) mad scientist had well and truly gone off the deep end, Ichigo doubted anyone would have been able to stop him, especially with the former captains of the Onmitsukido and the Kido Corps backing him up. Ichigo could feel resentful and mope around until the sun exploded but it wouldn't change anything, least of all someone's base personality.

Keep moving forward, he would tell himself as the months ground on with no contact from the dearly departed. He would sometimes see a small black blur at the corner of his eyes every now and then, so at least they were still keeping track of him. Hopefully they'd bail him out if he was ever attacked by a Hollow. Wouldn't it just be irony at its finest for Ichigo to have taken on the best and brightest of the Afterlife only to wind up as some cero-fodder's lunch?

But every day had worn at him, and though he tried to stay chipper (or at least as chipper as he was wont to get), he knew there were cracks in his mask. Karin and Yuzu were concerned and no matter how he tried to hide his growing melancholy, it was a futile effort. Their attempts at cheering him up would have been a little amusing if it wasn't so sad; Yuzu had taken to making Ichigo's favorite dishes so frequently that he was secretly getting a little tired of them, and though Karin's sudden enthusiasm toward having Ichigo teach her self-defense was actually pretty nice, her utilization of the techniques he showed her on local bullies was bound to get her into trouble soon or late (and he would know from experience).

His friends were worried as well, though they showed it a bit differently than his sisters. Keigo and Mizuiro, bless them, had taken their _tsukkomi/boke_ routine to heights previously unimagined. At first, Ichigo had though the brown-haired teen had finally cracked until he realized it'd been for Ichigo's own benefit. Chad and Orihime seemed to think that their mere presence caused him grief because he only saw them perhaps once in a blue moon, and spoke to them even more rarely which was worse. Chad was one of his best friends, and while their contact from before all the supernatural bull crap had been limited, Ichigo had come to enjoy Inoue's almost eternal optimism over the course of their friendship. Having them essentially remove themselves from his everyday life hurt more than he'd care to admit. Tatsuki was, perhaps unsurprisingly, the one he had been most reliant upon since the Mugetsu had drained him of his powers. She always seemed to know just when he started falling into one of his funks, and proceeded to drag him off for a spar or to the arcades for a few hours of blissful, mind-numbing gaming sessions.

He had a hunch that she'd been the one to suggest to his family that getting Ichigo a NerveGear rig would be a good idea; really, it could only have been her since he'd told her alone how cool the full-dive technology was. And though he wasn't a hardcore gamer (the only video games he'd ever really gotten totally invested in was the _Tekken_ franchise), the new VRMMORPG Sword Art Online had sounded like it was right up his alley.

He didn't exactly know how they'd done it. The rest of the Kurosaki clan had managed to not only get him the NerveGear platform, but they'd also found some way to get their hands on one of the mere ten thousand copies of the biggest thing to hit video games since the HP bar.

And so, Ichigo sat and glanced while the pencil tapped and the clock ticked its way closer to the official launch of Sword Art Online.

When it was nearly time, Ichigo slid the NerveGear down over his head (he'd made sure everything was ready and waiting as soon as he'd woken up that morning) and settled himself in a comfortable position on his bed.

As 12:59 flickered and changed to 1:00 in the corner of his eye, he allowed a grin to tug his lips upward as he spoke, "Link Start."

His senses faded quickly until it seemed that he was floating in a blank white expanse of nothingness. Five spinning discs appeared before him, glowing a bland red before brightening to green and shuffling over toward the side to allow bars of multi-colored lights to spear toward him in a vertigo-inducing blur.

It took Ichigo a few moments to realize it had stopped, and he zeroed in on a clone of himself. It was somewhat disorienting to see a copy with color; he was used to a bone-white version, and the fact that this double had a completely blank face as opposed to an insane smirk was unsettling, too. To the right of the mannequin was a menu that boasted a wide array of choices to change the appearance of his avatar. For a while, he deliberated on whether or not to go all out on character creation before discarding the idea, far too intent upon actually playing the game to care what he would look like while doing so.

When the game asked him what he wanted his name to be, it took only a moment before he settled on Zangetsu, in honor of his partners in crime. Look forward, he told himself, but remember the past as well.

And then, with jarring abruptness, Ichigo was in a large town whose architecture and layout were modeled in late-Medieval European style with thousands of other people, some laughing and greeting others, a fair few already heading off with purpose (a part of Ichigo's mind supposed these were the incredibly lucky folks who'd gotten the privilege of beta-testing this game), but the majority were simply standing around and staring slack-jawed at everything around them.

Ichigo couldn't blame them, really. This was the first VR experience he'd ever had, and it wasn't disappointing in the least bit; to be perfectly honest, it exceeded any of his wildest expectations. He allowed himself a moment to just stand there and take everything in, and as he felt his determination well up a grin formed on his face

Zangetsu stepped forward; he was gonna make this game his bitch.

* * *

Twenty minutes later found Ichigo wandering around Town of Beginnings, stopping at every stall and entering every open shop he saw, intent on finding the best way to spend the thousand Cor he'd found in his inventory after playing with the menus for a bit. He was searching for a good weapon, but he supposed the game wouldn't have anything he was used to, at least at the beginning.

It was as he scanned a narrow street full of weapons stalls while his feet carried him along that he bumped into someone about a head and a half shorter than him wearing a dark gray hooded cloak.

"Ah, my bad," Ichigo said, embarrassed that he'd allowed his spatial awareness to slacken.

"It's alright," the person replied in a girl's voice. looking past the shadow of her hood, Ichigo realized that this girl's face was comparable to some pop idols in its beauty, and her green hair cascaded down in waves.

The girl herself peered thoughtfully up at him for a few moments before saying, "It's quite a bold decision to use your RL appearance as your avatar."

Ichigo shrugged. "I'd rather just get to playing. S'not like I care what I look like, anyway, as long as I can experience this," he answered, gesturing around vaguely.

Smirking, she commented, "A practical man in a virtual world, that's quite a novelty. My name is Argo," she added. "You're a noob, huh?"

"So green I piss grass," Ichigo replied bluntly. "I'm Zangetsu, this is my first full-dive."

Argo hummed, then said, "Well, I suppose I could give you a few pointers. I assume you were looking for a good weapon and some armor when you crashed into me?"

Ichigo grimaced. "I barely nudged you," he said defensively. "But yeah, I've been through half the merchant NPCs in the west quarter, though I haven't found anything good enough yet."

"A shrewd shopper; I approve," Argo snickered. "You haven't found very good items because the west quarter is where all the inns and taverns are. The southern district is where the best armorers and smiths are."

"Ah, thanks for the advice," Ichigo nodded gratefully. "I take it from how well-versed you are with this place that you were one of the beta-testers? That must be quite an advantage."

"Oh yes," Argo agreed, looking like the cat who ate the canary. "I spent most of my time collecting information in order to sell it when the game was officially launched. No worrying about Cor for me."

"So that's why you're telling me where the good shops are?" Ichigo asked with a raised brow. "How much will that cost me?"

Argo gave him an innocent smile that nearly had him fooled. "First one's free; I use the drug-dealer method."

Ichigo couldn't help but snort in amusement. "Okay, okay."

"Hey, why don't I show you the best place to get a good weapon for cheap?" she offered. "You're kind of amusing, and I'm headed there myself."

Quickly agreeing, Ichigo couldn't believe his luck. Of all the ten thousand players, he managed to bump into a beta-tester info-broker willing to help him even a little.

They made their way south, with Argo occasionally pointing one thing or another out to him while soaked it all up. The more he learned about this game, the more surreal Ichigo found it.

Tobho's Smithy was a cleverly-hidden shop whose entrance was in a back-alley of the southern district, and Ichigo quickly recognized the superior quality of the items. He drifted in, forgetting about Argo for a moment as he examined the merchandise.

His first instinct was to purchase a large, black One-Handed Straight Sword with a blade nearly as thick as his forearm, but then hesitated. He'd been swinging big-ass swords around for long enough; it was about time for a change.

Looking instead toward a wall hung with smaller weapons, Ichigo eventually settled on a Dagger that looked a lot like a stylized steak knife called Iron Fang that enhanced his AGI by four points. It wasn't a huge amount, but the buff it afforded him was much better than most of the rest he'd seen.

A little white rectangle drew him from his thoughts, offering a friend request from Player Argo. He looked over to where the girl was purchasing a pair of punch daggers from the NPC shop owner. "You're an intriguing noob, Zangetsu," Argo said, scratching at a reddening cheek. "It'll be interesting to see how you play."

It struck Ichigo as odd that someone who presented themselves as a disinterested businesswoman like Argo would flush so easily before he remembered something he'd read on a game site, that Sword Art Online boasted a feature which enhanced facial expressions depending on a player's emotional state. He wondered idly if his omnipresent scowl stood up to the programming as he tapped the Accept button.

"I appreciate the help," he said, dipping his head gratefully. "I'd have probably spent the rest of the day in the west sector and ended up buying sub-par gear without you."

Argo grinned playfully. "The pleasure was all mine," she assured him. "Give me a chime if you ever need to know something, Zangetsu."

"Will do," Ichigo promised. "See you around, Argo."

And with that, she disappeared out the door, leaving him to buy Iron Fang, and a few pieces of leather armor besides.

Equipped and ready to get to the meat of the game-play, Ichigo set off toward the wall that circled Town of Beginnings, and before he knew it he was walking through a hilly area with a line of trees visible in the distance. Dark brown porcine creatures dotted the area, and above their heads were the words Frenzy Boar along with various one-digit numbers to denote their levels.

A sharp squeal to his right made Ichigo glance over just in time to see one of the monsters materialize in a flash of blue pixels and charge him. It was a simple matter to side-step the attack, but Ichigo frowned at the sheer lack of speed his avatar possessed. He had known that since everything in this game was governed by stats and numbers he wouldn't be able to move with the grace and aplomb he was used to in real-life, but experiencing it first-hand was something else entirely.

The Frenzy Boar gave a furious snort before rushing at him again, and when it passed once more, Ichigo drove his Dagger into its side and gouged a glowing orange gash from shoulder to hindquarter. Before it could make another attempt at his life, Ichigo darted forward while its back was still turned and sunk the Iron Fang into the base of its skull five times in quick succession.

 _Poor little fucker never stood a chance_ , Ichigo thought victoriously as the Frenzy Boar shattered into hundreds of shining polygons that dissipated on the soft breeze. A large square window blinked into life, congratulating him and giving him a rundown of the XP and Cor he'd earned through battle. A single glance showed that he'd also obtained an item called Pork Chop. _Cooking ingredient, maybe?_ he wondered. _I'd heard there were skills not related to combat..._

Shrugging, Ichigo scanned his surroundings and spotted a group of three Frenzy Boars as they appeared and strode toward them, rolling up his mental sleeves. Time to get grinding...

* * *

 **After-Action Report:** Basically just an opener, a little something to drum up some interest (I hope). To answer a few pre-emptive questions, no, Ichigo won't be getting the Dual Blades Unique Skill. I know that it goes to the Player with the fastest reaction times, and Ichigo's got great reflexes...so much so, in fact, that the Cardinal System registers it as a glitch and gives the coveted skill to the next most qualified player, Kirito.

No, the harem won't be centered on Ichigo, or Kirito for that matter. I like watching harems unfold as much as the next person, but SAO's harem thing wasn't really that great, or even necessary. I wanted some got-dang gaming, not a fuckin' romantic comedy! So the height of romance in this story will just be Kirito and Asuna's subplot on the sidelines.

There will be some spiritual shenanigans within the game, but nothing that hasn't been previously established. At the end of that mystery two-part episode, it's revealed that the spirits of Players who have died _do_ in fact, linger within the system, so it's actually canon. There won't be any zanpakuto, kido, cero blasts, etc. in the game, though, so don't worry.

I suppose that's all for now. If you've enjoyed the story, please review and tell me what you think. I hope to see you again, and have a great day!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** So here's the second part of the opening day. I've had the first part done for quite a while, but I just finished the second part, since Kayaba's speech was really kind of boring to write. I mean, we all know it, and to reiterate a canon event almost verbatim is tedious at best, but it's necessary. So I persevered for you, my dear readers. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer** and **Warnings** still apply from the first chapter.

* * *

Ichigo II

* * *

Four hours later found Ichigo grunting as he dodged two of the hog monsters while he rammed Iron Fang home into the beady, glowing red eye of a third. He flipped over a fourth's charge, tracing a violet line across its back with his newest Dagger (acquired from the quickly disintegrating corpse of a Fury Wasp), Venom Barb, slowing it down enough to allow him to focus on the remaining three.

It had taken some doing to figure out how to fight using two weapons, but Ichigo had managed it after a few less-than-amazing false starts. He wasn't known as a combat genius in Soul Society for nothing, after all, and it wasn't too different from the street fights he'd been getting into since he was ten.

In short order, Ichigo collected six more Pork Chops, unable to keep the smug look off his face. He'd leveled up since the beginning of his hunt while his One-Handed Dagger and Leather Armor skills had both gone up four levels apiece (he wondered briefly if there was a _Two-_ Handed Dagger skill). Not to mention he had made twice the amount of Cor he'd spent on initial supplies, and besides Venom Barb, he'd also taken a Chitinous Breastplate off an Armored Beetle, and close to three dozen Pork Chops besides. The three stat points he'd gotten were all promptly placed into AGI, and he felt as though he was getting close to moving at the speed his RL body was capable of, even if his reflexes were still set to Ludicrous Speed thanks to all that time spent flash-stepping a hair's breadth ahead of a gruesome death. Perhaps one day he'd regain that kind of speed in the game and relive his glory days.

Snorting at the wistful nostalgia his inner thoughts had gained, he checked the time, then his map. He'd gotten carried away, and was much further afield than he'd first guessed. Sighing, he turned and started trudging back toward Town of Beginnings, wondering how much he could get for all the Pork Chops and thought about sending a quick message to Argo inquiring after a good place to lighten his load for optimal sell-prices.

While he walked, he realized with a start that the only time he'd thought about his complicated other life was when he'd wished Zangetsu (both of them) had been here to enjoy this place with him. Ichigo resolved then and there to thank Tatsuki for managing to persuade his family to get the NerveGear for him (or at least for talking to the twins about it, who would have used a combination of strong-arming and puppy-dog eyes on Goat-Face to get it). He hadn't realized how heavy his emotional burden had been until it was lifted by this wonderful game.

He stopped suddenly, ears twitching. A low growl just a little louder than the BGM, followed by the telltale tinkle of shattering polygons, alerted him to something's presence behind a tumble of rocks.

Jogging over, Ichigo found a large, gray-furred wolf creature with the glowing red eyes of a monster and the label Dire Wolf hanging over its head sprawled on its belly. The reason why became apparent immediately: the creature's hind legs had been severed at the knee joint, leaking red pixels into the air while several orange cuts glowed faintly across its back and muzzle. Nearby, a full bag with the symbol for Cor stamped on it sat unassumingly in the grass, and Ichigo realized that it must have just recently been in a battle against an unfortunate player who was respawning right about now in Town of Beginnings.

When it spotted him, the Dire Wolf snarled weakly and tried to rise up to meet this new challenger, but with such grievous injuries it only lifted its torso halfway before flopping pitifully back down again. Ichigo was surprised it hadn't just broken apart at the end of the battle, but approved of the creature's determination on principle, AI program or not.

A thought occurred to him then, and with a few quick chimes he had an armful of pork products. "Here," he said, tossing a Chop within reach of the Dire Wolf's muzzle. "Food equals HP in these kinds of games, right? Heal up so we can fight." Ichigo would swear that the wolf gave him a look of sheer bafflement.

"Go on," he urged. "It's not poisoned or anything. That's a bullshit way to beat an opponent." He chucked a couple more slabs of meat at the wolf, who warily snapped a couple up. Instantly, the orange scars on its body shrank, and the red pixels that denoted bloodloss stopped leaking from its legs altogether.

Thirteen Pork Chops later, the Dire Wolf was completely healed, and Ichigo stored the rest back in his Inventory, readying both Daggers with an anticipatory grin. Bugs and boars were all well and good for XP, but a Dire Wolf was an apex predator and bound to give him a better fight.

So his surprise was understandable when a new notification window popped up. "Congratulations," he read aloud, for the wolf's sake. "You have just tamed LV 2 Dire Wolf. Would you like to name your pet?" His gaze bounced from the window to the wolf, whose eyes had lost the menacing red glow, then back. "Pet?" he repeated blankly.

The Dire Wolf cocked its head to the side in a disturbingly dog-like gesture, its tongue lolling out of its mouth cheerfully. He hadn't heard anything about there being a Beast-Taming feature from the articles he'd read, but figured it wasn't too out of the ordinary and took it in stride.

"Okay then," he conceded thoughtfully, wondering what to name it. "Er...for fear of sounding like Professor Oak, are you a boy or a girl?" The Dire Wolf helpfully rolled over on its back, presenting a featureless underbelly. Unisex name it is, Ichigo thought wryly. After a few minutes of pondering, he said, "How does Artemis sound?"

The Dire Wolf's ears perked up, and barked in what sounded to Ichigo like an affirmative. "Alright, Artemis it is." As soon he put in the name, a new status bar showed up below his in the top left corner of his vision, and the little mark next to her name firmly identified Artemis as a female. After a moment's contemplation, Ichigo brought up his menu again and found an extra option with Artemis' name on it and found that not only could he equip her with a few items, but there was also a skill slot filled with the aggro-drawing Howl skill.

"Nice," he observed appreciatively. He'd also gotten two skills of his own, Familiar Communication and Familiar Recovery, which allowed him to interact with his new companion effectively and heal her respectively. "Better start training these up now," he mused, equipping Familiar Communication.

Turning to the wolf, he smiled. "Hello, Artemis."

"Hello, Zan-Ge-Tsu," she answered, speaking his name in a slow, methodical tone. "I am glad to know you."

"I'm pleased to meet you, too, partner."

"Meat?" she echoed hopefully, perking up. Sighing, Ichigo retrieved another Pork Chop from his Inventory and flipped it to her. She gobbled it up easily as he muttered, "I hope this skill levels up fast."

* * *

And so, for the next quarter of an hour, Ichigo and Artemis talked a little about nothing much (rather, Ichigo talked while Artemis listened and learned). By the time they came across a pair of players, the Familiar Communication skill had leveled once, and Artemis had gone from monosyllabic words and broken enunciation to simple sentences that were crude, but made sense (mostly).

As they drew closer, Ichigo watched as the duo took on a Frenzy Boar, and deduced that the shorter player was teaching the redhead. Curiously, the ginger's Curved Sword glowed green and he shot forward, cutting through the boar as he left a trail of verdant light behind him.

When he was within earshot, he called out, "Oi, you two!"

The players turned and acknowledged that they'd heard him, but then they stiffened and pointed behind him. Turning, he saw only Artemis following after him, and figured they didn't know about the beast-taming thing.

"Don't worry, she's mine," he assured them as he halted a few feet away. "She's Artemis, and I'm Zangetsu." The redhead was older-looking than the shorter, dark-haired one, but both were male and ridiculously good-looking.

"Cool names," said the redhead, looking interestedly at Artemis. "I'm Klein, by the way, and that's Kirito. I didn't know you could tame monsters in this game." The wolf returned his gaze curiously, head tilting first one way then the other.

"Meat?" she inquired hesitantly, and Ichigo shook his head.

"No, only players that piss me off are meat," Ichigo emphasized, taking out another Pork Chop and feeding it to her, just to keep her pacified.

"Wow, you can understand it, too?" Klein queried, looking intrigued.

"Kinda," explained Ichigo. "It's like she's speaking pidgin, and her grammar needs a little work, but hopefully that'll correct itself as I level up the skill that lets me talk with her."

"Familiar Communication," Kirito elaborated for Klein's benefit. "Beast Taming was rare in the beta version, but not unheard of."

"So, are you a beta tester, then?" Klein asked Ichigo, who shook his head.

"Nah, I just got lucky. When I found her, she was wounded and laying next to a bag of Cor; must've just finished pixelating a player or something. I fed her some of the Pork Chops I'd gotten from all the boars around here, and when she was all healed up, I got a notification saying I'd just acquired a pet. Dumb luck, I guess."

"Man, I'll say," Klein quipped enviously. "A cool pet and an awesome skill to go with it? I'm super jealous!"

"Speaking of skills," Ichigo prompted, "what was that glowy-blade thing you did earlier?"

"You mean this?" Klein asked, demonstrating the green attack once more. "It's a Sword Skill. Kirito's been kind enough to show me the ropes today."

Kirito had been staring oddly at Ichigo. "So you don't know what a Sword Skill is, but you had enough Pork Chops on you to tame a Dire Wolf? Have you leveled up yet?"

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded, "I'm level two now."

Eyes wide, Kirito's gaze flicked upward as he did some mental math. "Considering Frenzy Boars only give a maximum of around fifty XP, you must have killed around a hundred of them in order to level up!"

"Mm, that sounds about right," Ichigo agreed. "It got a little repetitive after a while, so I searched around and took out a couple Fury Wasps. I got lucky about an hour ago and found an Armored Beetle, too. That's where I got this nifty chest armor," he added, tapping the Chitinous Breastplate.

"Are you an RL martial artist?" Kirito asked, looking a little impressed. "Normally, Sword Skills are the only thing that allows players to attack with the proper force and speed necessary to do any significant damage to monsters. Frenzy Boars, I can understand, they're this game's equivalent of Slimes, but I don't think anyone could take down an Armored Beetle without Sword Skills, at least someone with no actual combat experience."

"I took karate lessons as a kid, and I get into the occassional street fight around town, just to keep from getting rusty," Ichigo acknowledged, deciding not to mention his other 'combat experience'.

"Dude, teach me!" Klein exclaimed.

"As long as you show me some of those Sword Skills, we got a deal," Ichigo decided with a nod.

"Hell yeah...is what I wanna say," Klein began. "But I'm starting to get hungry. I've got a pizza set to be delivered at five-thirty to my appartment."

"You're sure prepared," Kirito commented, smirking.

"How about I add you to my Friend List and we can meet up sometime?" Klein continued.

"Sounds like a plan," Ichigo said, and a few chimes signalled his second new contact in this world. "Well, I guess I'll see you later then."

"Count on it!" Klein declared, then turned to Kirito. "And thanks for taking the time to teach this old dog some new tricks. I'll pay you back, mentally."

Ichigo turned to ask Kirito a question about Sword Skills, but a confused grunt from Klein made him look over at the redhead.

"Hey, Kirito," Klein said slowly, "Uh, total noob question here, but...how do I log off?"

"Seriously?" Kirito looked amused, and Klein's expression became defensive.

"Look, this is my first full-dive; I can't exactly alt + F4 this shit, now can I?" he older player groused.

Kirito opened his menu as he spoke, "It's fine," he assured. "The log out is right...here..."

Something in Kirito's voice caused Ichigo's frown to deepen. "What?" he demanded. "What's wrong?"

"The...the log-out option is blanked out," Kirito murmured anxiously. "This can't be right."

Klein chuckled nervously. "Man, the guys who run this game are probably going nuts right now," he joked. "A bug this big on opening day?"

Ichigo felt his gut sink in anticipation. He doubted something this major could be accidental.

"Hey, does anyone else feel tingly?" Klein piped up. Before Ichigo could respond, he was treated to the singularly odd sensation of being broken down into little tiny data packets, moved through digital space, and reassembled elsewhere in perhaps a second.

"No," Kirito replied, then gasped as his mind caught up with the situation. "What the—a forced teleport?"

Ichigo vaguely recognized the place they'd been teleported to as the main plaza of the Town of Beginnings. Even as he took in his surroundings, more and more players 'ported in until it seemed like every last person who had logged on was there. Confusion reigned as ten thousand voices asked just what the big deal was, but they didn't have long to wait.

Ichigo noticed first, which wasn't too hard considering most everyone else was still trying (unsuccessfully) to puzzle out what was happening. Up in the sky, a translucent red hexagon appeared, announcing what looked like an incoming system message. Within moments, the single shape became hundreds until a dome of the things encapsulated the entire sky above the courtyard. To his increasing trepidation, crimson liquid that looked disturbingly like blood began to ooze from between the interlocking warnings before coalescing mid-air into a massive cloaked figure.

A wave of uneasy muttering swept through the crowd, but it all ceased as the person raised their arms invitingly and spoke in a booming voice that everyone could hear. "Hello, Players. Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko and, as of this moment, I am in control here."

His words set Ichigo on edge instantly. As he spoke, Kayaba's hand swiped down and he scrolled through a menu. "I'm sure most of you have already noticed that the log-out option missing from your main menu. I assure you that this is not a defect in the game. I repeat. This is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of SAO and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life."

A buzzing sound filled Ichigo's ears as other players finally began to react, denying his words and attempting to leave only to be rebuffed by invisible walls. Beside him, Klein tried to laugh Kayaba's words off, but Kirito explained how due to the NerveGear's hardware it was entirely possible, even highly probable.

"This is crazy!" Klein muttered, eyes bright. "It's totally insane!"

"Despite my warning, the family and friends of some Players have tried to remove the NerveGear, an unfortunate decision to say the least." Kayaba's voice gave no indication that he felt any remorse when he dropped the bombshell. "As a result, the game now has two hundred and thirteen fewer players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world."

Ichigo's blood ran cold in his veins. Two hundred and thirteen people dead, just like that. He wondered what would happen to their souls, but quickly cut that line of thought when screens playing what looked like news programs began circling the game master, and messages of panic as the insidious plot was uncovered and cried to the masses.

"As you can see," Kayaba gestured to the rectangles vaguely, "international media outlets are covering this story around the clock, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume that the risk of the NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game. It's important you remember the following: there is no longer any way to revive someone in the game. If your HP reaches zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system forever, and the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There's only one way for a player to escape now, and that is to beat Sword Art Online. Right now, you are on Floor One, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and beat the boss, you may proceed to the next level. Defeat the boss on Floor One Hundred and you will clear the game."

Voices immediately protested the likelihood of passing a freaking _MMORPG_ , virtual reality or not.

("When was the last time you heard of someone clearing _EverQuest_?" someone shouted.

"When was the last time you heard of someone _playing EverQuest_?" another person retorted belligerently.

"...that's fair," the first player conceded.)

Kayaba, who was either ignoring the yelling or didn't have audio on his end, forged ahead. "Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please have a look."

All around Ichigo, players were accessing their inventory and pulling out the 'gift'. Ichigo did the same and frowned at the innocent-looking mirror while holding it like a poisonous snake. Sudden flashes of light began to engulf the gathering, and Ichigo spun when he heard Klein and Kirito cry out in surprise.

Before he could go to their aid he, too, was blinded by a searing blue glow.

"Klein, are you alright?" Kirito's voice asked.

"Yeah, I'm...wait, who are you?" Klein responded, bewildered.

"I'm me, who are _you_?" Kirito returned, just as confused.

Ichigo looked at them and immediately saw the problem. Kirito's handsome face had seemingly regressed to an almost cherubic appearance, with slightly chubby cheeks and a stubborn chin while Klein had become scruffier-looking, with a crooked nose and patches in his stubble where it had before been even.

"I'm guessing that's how you look RL?" Ichigo surmised quietly. They both turned to him and their eyebrows rose.

"You were actually gonna play with yours?" Klein turned the question back on him, then shook his head. "Never mind that; how is he doing this?"

"The scan..." murmured Kirito, cupping his chin in thought. "There's a high-density signal device inside the NerveGear rig. It can see what my face looks like, but how's it know my height and body type?"

"When I first put on the NerveGear, I had to perform some type of manual calibration," Ichigo recalled. "It asked me to touch certain points on my body."

Kirito nodded in recognition, still looking troubled, and for good reason. It was Klein who voiced those worries, though.

"So we know how he's got our images, who cares?" the still-redhead snapped, gazing angrily up at Kayaba. "What the hell's the point of all this?"

"I think he's about to tell us," Kirito said gravely, and he was proven right when the massive figure spoke again.

"Right now, you are probably wondering, 'Why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this?' Ultimately, my goal was a simple one: the reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design. As you can see, I have achieved my goal."

Ichigo gnashed his teeth together to stop himself from spewing a torrent of hatred and frustration. This was Aizen all over again, except this time he didn't have any more powerful allies who could aid him in gaining strength. This man with the desire to play god was in full control in the world he'd made, and Ichigo could do _nothing_ to even the odds. He didn't even know most of the game mechanics, if his earlier conversation with Kirito and Klein was anything to go by.

"This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of SAO," Kayaba said, bowing his head ever-so-slightly in mocking humility. "Players, I wish you the best of luck."

The quietude was palpable as the figure vanished into thin air and the red hue disappeared along with the dome of warning notifications. Then, a young girl screamed out and the proverbial floodgates were opened. People called out frantically, unable to fully comprehend the situation they'd found themselves in and grasping at something, _anything_ to do.

Ichigo's scowl deepened, and he realized that he was going to have to do something. No one else seemed like they even had their heads on straight, let alone be calm enough to ease the tension of all the players. He saw Kirito tense and reach for his and Klein's arms to pull them away, but Ichigo preempted the younger player and caught his wrist.

"Stay here for a moment and watch Artemis for me, would you?" he requested, making sure that his face didn't betray the sudden churning in his gut as he made his choice.

"What are you—?" Kirito began, but Ichigo turned and headed toward the closest corner of the clock tower and began to climb the spire there. If he'd tried to ascend to the top of the tower everyone would be too terrified to listen, and they probably wouldn't be able to hear him from up there anyway.

Ichigo pulled himself the final few feet to the top of the spire and straightened up. Only a few players had taken notice of his ascent, and he cleared his throat, swallowing the anxiety he was feeling.

" **OI!** " he hollered at the top of his lungs, forcing his voice to rise above the terrified din of the panicked people below. " **SHUT THE FUCK UP!** "

The buzz of overwrought voices were cut off almost immediately, making way for a shocked silence as every single player's attention focused on him. For a moment Ichigo faltered, feeling the weight of ten thousand gazes upon him at once, but he donned a scowl to hide his nerves and steeled himself. What the hell was he scared of? A bit of public speaking was _nothing_ compared to the absolute nightmare of the Afterlife...right?

Nodding, Ichigo swept his eyes over the assembled crowd and saw naked fear on every face. That wouldn't do at all, so he pointed the spot where Akihiko Kayaba's gigantic form had floated minutes ago. "First off, let's take a moment to say fuck that guy." A wave of slightly hysterical laughter rippled through the assembly, and Ichigo took that as a good sign.

"That asshole just made the worst mistake of his life," he began. "He thinks that because he shows up as a big spooky projection that he can intimidate us, make us afraid. He thinks now he's got us stuck in this game that he can do whatever the fuck he wants. He thinks that we'll bow down to him and die like the good little sheep we are. Well, you know what? He's dead _fucking_ wrong."

"This world that he created is dangerous, we can all agree on that," Ichigo acknowledged, and despondent noises followed, but he forged on. "But the world we've lived in our entire lives is dangerous. Maybe not in the same way, but people die all the damn time. That's life, and you can just suck it up and deal with it. Here, though...this world is governed by numbers and systems that are designed to make sense. Out there, the real world, it's fucking nuts. You could be the most careful person on the planet but any of a million-billion things could happen to you and _poof_ , you're dead."

"You all are gamers, and this is a game world! You _know_ the rules, you _know_ what to expect. The only reason you're panicking is because Dick-Head Kayaba wants you to be!" He watched in satisfaction as realization began to dawn on the faces turned toward him. "You think that big song-and-dance of his just now was for shits and giggles? He _calculated_ just what kind of effect that would have on us, and you're playing right into his hand. Are you just gonna lay down and assume the position for him?"

There was a single, heart-stopping moment of ringing silence. Then a single voice called out. "Fuck that!" Ichigo looked down and shot a grateful smirk at Klein, who had spoken up. Soon, others were denying their willingness to take it up the ass from some _programmer_ , and instead of the frenzied terror from before the crowd had been roused with their chests full of righteous fury and indignant defiance.

"The only way we're going to stay alive and make it to the top of this place is together," Ichigo proclaimed once the fervor died down a bit, and he saw nods of agreement all across the host of players. "Beta Testers, you were able to play the first few levels, so you know a lot more about this place than the rest of us do. We'll need your expertise if we're to survive long enough to get competent."

A diminutive figure wearing a familiar cloak stepped out of the crowd, and while the face that peered up at him wasn't the one he was expecting the voice was undoubtedly Argo's.

"I would be happy to provide any general information I have free of charge," she declared. "Special quests will still be full price." One by one, other people came forward, claiming to be beta testers, including Kirito.

"That's that, then," Ichigo said loudly so everyone could hear. "Let's all get some rest so we can beat this game and shove Kayaba's words straight back down his throat on the hundredth floor!"

A massive cheer rose from the multitudes that lasted a solid minute. Slowly, the crowd departed in clumps until only Ichigo, Kirito, Klein, Argo, and Artemis remained. For whatever reason, Argo seemed a little leery of his Dire Wolf.

"That was quite impressive, Zangetsu," the info-broker said as he dropped to the ground. "The opening ceremony could have ended much differently if you hadn't spoken up."

"I saw a problem and I tried my best to fix it," he shrugged, running a hand restlessly through his hair. "Thanks for stepping forward; I'm not sure if the others would have done the same if you hadn't."

The girl smiled. Her new (old) face wasn't as obviously attractive as her avatar's had been, but it strangely suited her. "I'm sure your rousing speech would have stirred the goodness of their hearts. I should get going myself; I'll need to come up with some new tactics and strategies now that the game-play has changed so irreversibly."

"Take care, Argo," Ichigo waved. She nodded, gave a brief mistrustful look toward Artemis, and then left the courtyard.

"So...that happened," Klein chuckled nervously. "Where the hell did you learn to talk like that?"

"I always speak my mind, Klein," Ichigo snorted. "I just had a bigger audience this time."

"I don't think I would have been able to do that," Kirito said, looking pale just at the thought. "That took a lot of guts."

"Just stubbornness and a bad attitude," Ichigo denied humbly. "We'd better get some rest, too. Tomorrow's a big day, and there won't be time for a break any time soon."

* * *

 **After-Action Report:** And there we have it. So now people aren't as hopelessly panicked as last time, the beta testers have been given the opportunity to help more openly without any bias (or without _much_ bias, humans being humans and all), and the Players have been rallied. What else did you expect from Ichigo "The Determinator" Kurosaki?

So now he's got a Dire Wolf companion, the Familiar skills of a Beast Tamer, and the recognition of being the guy who stopped everyone from falling into a spiral of panic and depression. Suffice to say he's going to have a lot more nicknames by the end, and you can probably guess one by now, it being the title and everything.

Ichigo's ability to wield two weapons simultaneously isn't that much of a big deal. There's that guy in Titan's Hand or whatever that orange guild was who had two axes, and the 'sword-and-board' technique is not much different. Ichigo's officially the first person to come up with an Outside System Skill, and it'll be put to use pretty fast.

And some of you may have noticed the references go SAO Abridged series by Something Witty Entertainment. If you haven't heard of it, go watch it now!

Tell me what you all think, and let me know if I've made some grave error or something so I can fix it ASAP. I appreciate everyone reviewing, favoriting, and following this story, and I hope everyone has a great day!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Hey, hey! This chapter will cover the entirety of the Floor One Boss fight, which isn't that great. I mean, canon it was awesome, but I'm not what you'd call the best at action scenes, so you'll have to bear with me. Sorry.

 **Disclaimer** and **Warnings** still apply from the first chapter.

* * *

Ichigo III

* * *

 **Floor One: Tolbana  
One Month Later**

Ichigo leaned against a pillar and idly scanned the assemblage of the highest-level Players in the game who had risen to the call sent out by a former beta-tester named Diavel. The blue-haired sword-and-board fighter had contacted Ichigo to give his approval of the assault against the boss in order to lend some weight to the message, and Ichigo reluctantly agreed. His little oratory demonstration after the opening ceremony had given him quite a bit of notoriety within the new community, being perhaps the most well-known Player in the game by that point, and it was better to use that infamy to further the cause of escaping this prison.

It had been just short of a month since Kayaba's announcement and Ichigo's own counter-speech. He had spent that time grinding almost non-stop, taking breaks only to eat and sleep, and sometimes managing a couple shifts here and there at the children's shelter a Player named Sasha had opened in the Town of Beginnings. A few familiar faces kept cropping up in the field, Klein and his burgeoning guild most of all, but every now and then he'd come across Kirito on one quest or another, and he relied heavily on Argo's intel for good hunting grounds and quest alerts.

As he swept his gaze over the gathering, his thoughts turned to the fifty-eight players who had died since the start of the death game. Thankfully, despite his lack of skill with the spoken word, he'd managed to keep most of SAO's population from falling into a spiral of despair, but the thirty-nine players who had given up before the onset and leapt from the edge of Aincrad would always be prominent in his thoughts. The nineteen casualties in the field were just as tragic, and Ichigo had to continually remind himself that he couldn't be everywhere at once to protect them all. Keep moving forward, he thought sadly.

Thus, he found himself frowning and scanning faces in a small amphitheater with tiered seating in Tolbana, waiting for the announcement. Up near the top, he noticed Kirito settling down just in time for the blue-haired swordsman at the bottom of the pit to clap his hands together to gain the group's attention.

"Okay, let's get this meeting started," the man said with a good-natured smile as he took in the rest of the players. "First off, thank you all for coming today. I'm Diavel, and I like to think of myself as a knight." He pounded his fist into his chest armor with a self-deprecating chuckle that everyone else joined their voices to.

Once the humor died down, Diavel's expression grew serious. "Two days ago, our party found the boss room at the top of the tower." This, too drew a definite reaction from the crowd, and the tension rose. Ichigo had had a similar reaction when Diavel had told him. "We need to beat this boss, make it to the 2nd Floor, and tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it's possible to beat this game." As he spoke, Diavel's voice grew louder, and firm with resolve. "That is the duty of everyone here today as the strongest players! Agreed?"

Ichigo could tell Diavel was getting to them, and someone apparently decided that a slow-clap was in order. Ichigo rolled his eyes as the applause grew, and even a few whistles echoed across the amphitheater, but he figured they'd need that enthusiasm soon.

"So, let's get down to business and come up with a plan of attack," Diavel said once the furor had died down. "First things first, everyone form parties of six. A single party alone won't be able to take down a Floor Boss despite the extra week of leveling the beta testers suggested, so we'll have to go at it full raid-style."

Ichigo watched on as groups of half a dozen slowly began forming, smirking slightly as he saw Kirito begin to panic slightly due to his aversion to people in general. The third time they'd met out in the field, Ichigo had suggested a team-up, only for Kirito to stammer out an apologetic denial. Once most everyone was cliqued up, Ichigo stood and walked over to where Kirito had slid across the bench to the only other non-affiliated player, who wore a rust-colored cloak with the hood drawn up to hide her face.

"Oi, Kirito," Ichigo spoke once the cloaked player had accepted Kirito's party request. "So you'll party with a nice young lady but not with me or Fuurinkazan, eh? I see how it is now."

"Th-that's not how it is, Zangetsu," grumbled Kirito, turning red despite his best efforts. "Are you alone, too?"

Ichigo nodded, dragging his finger down a few times to send his own party request to them. Once accepted into the small team, Ichigo sat down next to Kirito, glancing up to check the two new health bars in the corner of his vision.

"So, where's Artemis?" asked Kirito hesitantly. "She didn't...er..."

"Nah, she's back at the room I rented, sleeping," Ichigo interjected. "Figured she'd leave the 'stupid hooman' stuff to me. I'm never going to forgive Dale for showing her all those memes he had downloaded to his rig." That drew a reluctant smirk out of Kirito, and Ichigo chalked it up as a win; it wasn't too often that folks smiled in this game, least of all Kirito. Turning to the other player, he dipped his head in greeting. "I'm Zangetsu. I look forward to working with you."

"Asuna," was the reply in a feminine soprano, accompanied by an almost imperceptible nod. "Likewise."

"Alright," Diavel called from his spot at the bottom of the pit. "Now that we've separated into workable teams, we can start discussing tactics. Who here—"

"Hold it!" He was interrupted by a terribly obnoxious voice from the top of the seating area. A player with oddly-styled hair the color of burnt sienna leapt from row to row until he was standing level with Diavel and turned to face the crowd gathered for the boss meeting.

Ichigo couldn't say for sure why, but something about this guy just rubbed him the wrong way; perhaps it was because that voice reminded him of Ishida? Regardless, Ichigo had a feeling that nothing good would come out of his mouth.

"My name's Kibaou, and before we get to any of that, I'd like to get somethin' off my chest." He glared around at the assembled players, then said, "We all know about the fifty-eight people who died so far, right? Well, some of you need to apologize to them right now!"

Kibaou threw an accusatory finger forward and swept it across the stands, where uneasy mutters broke out. Ichigo noticed Kirito's expression close off at the mention of the fallen, and he couldn't really blame the kid when Ichigo himself felt their deaths weigh heavily upon his mind.

"Kibaou," Diavel spoke gently before the fire-brand could speak again. "I think I know who you're talking about. You're referring to the ex-beta-testers of this game, aren't you?"

"Of course that's who I'm talking about!" snapped Kibaou fiercely. "The day this stupid-ass death-game started, the beta guys just up and vanished without a damn thought to the rest of us! They took all the best hunting spots and grabbed up all the easiest quests, too!" He crossed his arms defiantly. "They're the only ones who were getting stronger in here, and they left everyone else floundering around like chickens with our heads cut off! I bet there's some of 'em here right now!"

It seemed as though Kibaou meant to go on a bit more, but Ichigo was well and truly fed up with this ass-hat and leapt over three-quarters of the seats in one bound, landing directly in front of the other orange-haired player.

"There's a bit of a hole in your logic there, dumbass," Ichigo growled, swiping his finger down and, after a few chimes, pulled out one of Argo's newsletters and showed it to Kibaou. "Thirty-nine of those who've died in this game chose to end their lives at the beginning of this game. And of the nineteen remaining fatalities, twelve of them were actually ex-beta-testers who fell _protecting_ the ones they'd decided to help level up and gain some skill in this game."

"Yeah, and that stupid rag was published by a friggin' beta-tester!" argued Kibaou snidely. "Who's to say that rat-faced chick isn't doctoring the statistics?"

Ichigo fought the urge to pinch his nose in exasperation. "Listen, you moron," he snapped. "If you won't take the word of a beta-tester, then how about mine? The opening ceremony was my first-ever full dive. Time logged in virtual reality is recorded and shows on your stat screen, did you know that?"

"Of course!" the orange-haired punk snorted disdainfully. " _Everyone_ knows that."

"Then take a look at mine and see for yourself that I'm not lying," Ichigo insisted, opening his own stat screen and turning it around so it became visible to the other Player.

Kibaou glanced down dismissively, then did a slight double-take and peered down closer at Ichigo's stat page, eyes wide. "Y-you're level twelve already? Wait a minute, you're the Stranger, aren't you?"

Ichigo's frown deepened. It was really Klein's fault he'd been saddled with such a stupid moniker; every time they'd meet up, the redhead would always greet Ichigo with a jaunty, "Hey there, stranger!" Some players must have overheard and soon enough he would hear, "There goes the Stranger!" and "Hey, it's that guy, the Stranger!" whenever he was in a town with even a small population of players. He was quickly growing to despise it, since it made him sound like some outlaw in a space-western or the personification of the end of all things in a fantasy epic.

"That's what they call me," Ichigo agreed, feeling his scowl form on his face. "I'll make this clear so even you can understand. Those deaths that you're using as a shaming tool are a damned tragedy, no one will argue that. But they're dead, and there's no changing that fact. People die all the time in real life for little to no reason at all, but those who've lost their lives in here have died so that we could be here today, planning out a way to get out of this god-forsaken game. Their sacrifice will be remembered by anyone who survives, and I aim to make sure as many get that chance as I'm able to."

When Kibaou looked like he might argue further, Ichigo leaned in over him, borrowing an intimidation trick he learned from Chad. "I've had it with your voice. So you can either help us beat the boss and give everyone some hope or get the fuck out of the way."

Kibaou gave Ichigo a mutinous look, but pushed no further, instead slouching over to sit in the front row of the amphitheater. _That's what I thought_ , Ichigo grumbled internally, walking back up to Kirito and Asuna.

Kirito raised an eyebrow and smiled gratefully. Asuna, however, was giving Ichigo an oddly intense look from behind the shadow of her hood. He jerked his head down, toward Diavel, who had begun outlining a bare-bones strategy. Receiving the message, she focused on the meeting, but Ichigo caught her glance several more times over the next twenty minutes.

* * *

After they had streamlined and finalized their plan of attack, the assault team (as Diavel had jokingly dubbed them) broke up with most sticking with the party they would be fighting with the next day. Asuna snuck away while Ichigo hadn't been looking, but he and Kirito eventually tracked her down, sitting at the edge of Tolbana's town square where a few members of the assault team were hanging about with nothing but a sweet bun for company.

"Yo," Ichigo greeted her. "Mind if we join you?" Asuna didn't say anything, so he took the initiative and dropped down beside her. In response, she scooted as far away as the small stone ledge they were sharing allowed. Kirito deliberated for a moment, then took a seat between them.

They both had their own sweet buns, a poor substitute for anything Yuzu would have made for dinner, but Ichigo couldn't complain, especially since he was probably getting his actual nutrients intravenously in a bed at the clinic right now. Kirito, however, accessed his inventory and withdrew a small clay pot.

"You guys wanna try some of this?" he asked hesitantly. "These are pretty good by themselves, but the creme I got in the last town really brings out the flavor." His finger glowed when he touched the top, and a warm, buttery substance appeared wherever Kirito swiped on the bun.

He offered the jar to Ichigo and Asuna, who both took a bit for themselves. Ichigo had to admit that it was pretty tasty, even if it made him miss Yuzu's cooking all the more. Asuna, on the other hand, seemed to think it was the most delicious thing in the world, judging by how quickly she scarfed her meager meal down.

"Where'd you find that?" Ichigo asked curiously. He'd found a few food ingredients in his ranging expeditions throughout the 1st Floor, but never something so _good_.

"It's the reward for a quest in the last town before this one; it's called the Heifer Strikes Back," Kirito explained. "It's not really that hard to get, actually."

Ichigo snorted at the quest's name; he'd come across a few bizarre ones himself (Dam You to Hell made him rethink everything he'd known about beavers). "I might look into that once we've served Illfang his own ass on a gilded platter."

"Do you really think we'll win tomorrow?" Asuna spoke up suddenly, that earnest fire from earlier returning to her gaze.

"I do," Ichigo answered simply. When her face puckered into a pout, he elaborated. "If I allow myself to doubt whether or not the assault team will survive the fight tomorrow, or worry that I'll be killed in the battle, then it's all over. Doubt and despair are the real enemies here, not Illfang the Kobold Lord, or that dickhead Kayaba."

He stared impassively into Asuna's fierce eyes as she frowned at him, then she sighed and nodded. "So it _is_ you. It's hard to fake the kind of vehemence you showed back in the Town of Beginnings. At first, I thought you were another imposter."

"Im...poster?" Ichigo asked blankly, totally lost.

Kirito tried to hide a snicker and failed completely. "There have been a couple of people claiming to be you," Kirito said. "They change their hair color and try to look grumpy all the time so other players will give them stuff."

" _What_." If there wasn't a boss raid to help win the next morning, Ichigo thought there was a good chance that he'd have gone hunting for those fakers at that moment. As it was, he just managed to reign in his impulsive first reaction and breathe deeply a couple times to calm himself down.

"Er, yeah, I thought Klein would have told you by now," Kirito continued. "It's hard to see how people can be fooled since, y'know, you stood up on that statue in front of everyone in the game."

"Regardless of that," Asuna cut in. "I'm glad you're here today, so I can thank you. It's because of you that I'm here instead of locked up in some tavern in the Town of Beginnings, withering away. What you said helped me find my courage to face this world as I am and stay true to my own beliefs."

Shaking his head, Ichigo grunted, "You'd still be here." He chuckled briefly at her confused expression. "People like you always find their will to survive sooner or later, no matter the situation. Some folks just give up when they're confronted with a problem with no easy solution." He thought of the thirty-nine players who had taken their lives rather than be faced with Aincrad's many dangers and hunched forward to hide the morose twist of his mouth. "But others just roll up their sleeves and get to work. Me, Kirito, you, and probably the rest of the assault team—even that lack-wit Kibaou—are all like that.

"So don't give credit where it isn't due," he finished succinctly. "Me and my big mouth may have given you a little push, but you're the one who made the decision to keep moving forward, not me."

He leaned back to look at his two companions, only to find them staring at him open-mouthed. "What?" he muttered gruffly.

"Has anyone ever told you that you'd be a good motivational speaker?" a voice behind him said.

Ichigo turned to find Klein and the rest of Fuurinkazan assembled under a streetlamp in new gear than what he'd last seen them in.

"Klein," he said with a sharp nod. "Guys. You here for the boss raid?"

"Yep," Kunimittz agreed, looking toward the square, where Diavel and Kibaou were laughing uproariously at something, probably Kibaou's stupid hairdo. "We almost didn't make it thanks to Dale's dumb ass."

"Oi, it's not my fault the NPCs in the last town are so attractive," the husky player shot back, slumping. "Man, I miss the Internet and all the porn." He raised his hands to the heavens and wailed, "Why did I download memes onto the NerveGear when it should have been AVs all along!"

Klein slapped him lightly across the back of his head. "We're in the presence of youngsters, Dale; you can't be spouting that kind of filth. Even if you do bring up good points."

Ichigo's scowl deepened. "Who are you calling a youngster, old-timer? I've got twice the experience you do, and I'm not talking about in-game."

"Ah, what's this?" Klein leaned in, slinging an arm around Ichigo's shoulders. "Have you been holding out on me, Zangetsu? Is this true that you're not as pure as I once believed you to be?"

It took a moment for Ichigo to realize that what he'd said could be construed in an entirely different way than he'd intended, and began to sputter indignantly. "Th-that's not what I meant, ass-hat! You—"

He stopped when he heard muffled laughter behind him, and felt his face soften when he saw Kirito and Asuna holding onto each other as they tried desperately to hold in their mirth. He supposed he would let Klein's comment slide this once, if it meant that those two had something to smile about.

"Okay, okay," Ichigo grumbled in what he hoped was a good-natured tone. "You two head back to your rooms and get some rest. I'll go introduce these miscreants to Diavel and the others, then hit the sack myself. They'd be mistaken for vagabonds otherwise."

The two younger players agreed and headed off, leaving Ichigo with the WWFM.

"Good to see you still alive," Klein said as they strode across the square.

Ichigo snorted. "It'll take a lot more than this game to kill me," he said with a shrug. It wasn't boasting when it was a simple statement of fact. If Aizen bloody Souske couldn't do him in then a VR video game _sure_ as hell wasn't; he'd never hear the end of it on the other side.

Diavel noticed them walking up and broke away from his conversation with Kibaou, who scowled at Ichigo, but Ichigo's was much more impressive and the goateed man looked away sourly.

"Zangetsu-san, what can I do for you?" the blue-haired swordsman asked with an amiable smile.

"This here is Fuurinkazan," Ichigo said, gesturing to the guild behind him. "And this red-haired scruffy-lookin' bastard is their leader, Klein. They're going to be joining us on the raid; I can vouch for their skill."

"Of course," said Diavel, nodding eagerly. "We can never have too many good Players tomorrow. I'm glad to meet you, Fuurinkazan."

Seeing that his job was done, Ichigo excused himself and began to head back to the inn where Artemis was, but was accosted by an enormous black man with a bald head and a neatly-trimmed beard.

"Excuse me," he said in a deep, soothing voice, "but you're the one they call the Stranger, and the Beast Master, and the King in the North, right?"

"I hadn't heard that last one yet," Ichigo said shortly. Normally, he wouldn't have approved of the final epithet, but he _was_ a fan of _A Song of Ice and Fire_. "You are?"

"I go by many names as well," he replied with no arrogance. "The Mountain Slayer, Thunder Lion, the Chocolate Axe."

Ichigo frowned in recognition. "You're the Player who beat Mountain the Billy-Goat field boss," he said, holding out a hand, which the Mountain Slayer shook firmly. "I heard how you held him back while the rest of the raid healed up. Some people call you Agil?"

Thunder Lion shrugged. "My real name is Andrew Gilbert Mills, and my normal user-name is Agil," he explained. "On opening night, since there was that 'one NerveGear per household' rule my wife and I played roshambo to see who got to play first. I logged in with her password so I could surprise her by leveling her up a little, y'know, romantic stylez." He shook his head with a sad smile. "I'm so damn glad I picked rock that night..."

"So, what should I call you?"

"Tiffany's the name on my stat screen," chuckled the Chocolate Axe. "May as well use that one."

"Alright, then I'm Zangetsu," Ichigo shot back. "You're coming with us on the raid tomorrow?"

"You couldn't keep me away," Tiffany's grin spoke of bad things in Illfang the Kobold Lord's future.

"I look forward to fighting beside you, then," Ichigo said, smirking a little himself. "If you'll excuse me, I should recharge for the boss battle."

He made his way back to his room and got glomped by a large, furry missile. Artemis had grown quite a lot in the last month; according to Argo, certain tamed monsters grow as they level up in order to keep them on an even playing field with the progressively stronger enemies. Dire Wolves just happened to be one of them. At a solid level twelve, her shoulder came all the way up to his belly and with her tail measured nearly three meters long, where before she had only come up to around his hip.

"Zangetsu, are we ready to kill Illfang the Kobold Lord?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah," he smiled, patting her on the head lightly. "I saw Kirito earlier; he asked after you."

"I enjoy the small swordsman's rubs," Artemis stated sagely. "His fingers are skilled."

"You can see him tomorrow; we're partied up for the raid, so we'll be close together for the fight. There's another Player named Asuna who will also be joining us, so I want you on your best behavior."

Pouting looked odd on Artemis' lupine face, but she bobbed her head sullenly. "Okaaay," she drew out the word, and Ichigo rolled his eyes in fond exasperation as she settled down on the mattress across from his. Interacting with his familiar was actually surprisingly similar to handling his little sisters, except Artemis couldn't bully him into eating beats or bug him into playing goalie while she practiced her kicks. Sighing, Ichigo sat down on his own bed and looked up at the digital night sky.

It had already been a month, and they were just starting to work their way up the castle. Granted, the beta testers had urged everyone to err on the side of caution, and everyone had spent an entire week grinding up beyond the level recommended for facing off against the Floor One Boss, which hopefully meant that there would be few casualties and no fatalities during the first of their hurdles.

He missed his family and friends, but it wasn't like he could talk to anyone besides Artemis about them. Not too many Players talked about their lives in the real world, prefering instead to push those thought to the back of their mind and try to ignore them in favor of passing the game. Tiffany bringing up his wife was an interesting divergence from the course, and was an amusing tale if nothing else.

Sighing, Ichigo laid himself out on the sheets, idly tapping on his inventory until his clothes shimmered and vanished, leaving him in only a pair of boxers. "Goodnight, Yuzu, Karin, Goat-Face, he murmured quietly to himself, stifling a yawn. "See you soon."

* * *

 **Floor One: 20th Tower Level, Outside the Boss Room  
** **The Next Day**

Ichigo and Artemis had taken point for their three-Player team while Kirito tried valiantly to teach Asuna the basics behind party tactics such as the "Switch and Pot", something Argo and some other beta-testers had come up with early on to counter-act the Instant Death aspect of the game. It had been an immense help to everyone, and there were already stories of how the technique had saved countless lives in the first twenty-four hours alone.

Ichigo was slightly surprised that Asuna hadn't been in a party before yesterday. It was a little tough to level up alone (as he could testify) but apparently more efficient since he, Kirito, and Asuna, were among the highest-level Players in the boss raid. At level twelve, he was likely the highest in the game so far, and with Kirito at level eleven and Asuna at level nine, they made a formidable team even barring the huge mass of wolfish muscle and teeth Ichigo called a pet. Tiffany and Diavel were both sitting pretty at level ten, and he'd spied Kibaou's level at being eight, so he wasn't utterly without merit, but the rest of the assault team were somewhere between five and seven, with the occasional eight or nine.

Illfang the Kobold Lord had been at level eight in the beta while his adds, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels, ranged from levels four to seven depending on what spawn wave they belonged to. However, there were official reports from the testers that many things weren't the same as they were in the beta, and many of those lost had died because they weren't expecting a monster to have a poisoned sting, or they _were_ expecting a quest item to be in a certain location when in fact it was a trap.

That was why they'd all taken a level-week before searching out the Boss.

At about a half-hour past noon, the raid group found themselves outside the ominous doors of the final challenge of Floor One.

Diavel stood before them, a grim smile playing at his lips. "I've only got one thing to say here," his voice rang out powerfully. "Let's win!"

As the other Players cheered, Diavel pushed the door open and strode confidently in while everyone else streamed in and quickly fell into their parties. The darkness that clung to the inside of the room was suddenly dispelled by dozens of torches bursting to life all along the walls of the room. There was large pillars that supported a ceiling almost too high to make out. The floor was covered in a brightly-colored tile mosaic, and standing menacingly on a dais at the far end, was Illfang the Kobold Lord.

He was a massive, bipedal canine-like creature with dark red fur and glowing crimson eyes. In his right hand, he wielded an enormous bone axe while his left hand bore the weight of a leather buckler, while a long sword of some kind was sheathed on the back of his waist. Circling around his left side were four full HP bars, and after the last Player filtered in and the door closed behind them, three Ruin Kobold Sentinels appeared before their lord, wearing full plate and hefting what looked like big rocks on sticks.

"Alright, everyone, you know what to do!" Diavel called, gesturing with his sword. "Squads A and C, switch in!"

Ichigo ignored the main attack for the moment, instead focusing on what his group was meant to do. One of the Sentinels charged at him, and he readied himself. To be perfectly honest, using Sword Skills felt a little like cheating to Ichigo. Engaging in a starting motion and then be guided through the rest of the attack was something that he hadn't experienced since his earliest days of karate lessons when Tatsuki would routinely kick his ass six shades of black and blue. The parries were nice, though, and he utilized them often. The great thing about his way of fighting was that he rarely had to worry about Sword Skill cooldown times, and when he did Artemis was always there to harry the opponent while he recovered.

So while Kirito stepped into the initial motion of a Sharp Nail, Ichigo dashed forward and drilled a swift toe-kick into the Kobold's gut, doubling it up and leaving it wide open for the three-hit combo Kirito had cooked up. The Sentinel didn't even have time to regroup when Artemis curled around behind it and tripped it up. Asuna darted forward, her rapier already piercing through the air in a Parallel Sting that struck twice and broke the exposed add's form into little pinpricks of light that faded quickly.

"New sword?" Ichigo asked Asuna briefly as he took a look around. The A-B-C squads were doing well, attacking and blocking Illfang well while keeping him in check while D and F (appropriately, this one consisted of Fuurinkazan) handled the other two Sentinels. E squad hung back, waiting with potions ready for the injured.

Her grip tightened around the more elegant-looking blade than the one she'd had the day before. "I went out for a bit of extra training last night," she admitted. "It's called Wind Fleuret."

"Good initiative," he hummed in approval. "Kirito, go help D squad with the last Sentinel; Asuna, back him up while he's vulnerable."

"What about you?" Kirito asked, even as his feet carried him toward the sole-remaining add of the first wave.

"I've got Artemis; I'll be fine," he assured them, keeping his Daggers up. Iron Fang +1 and Venom Barb +2 had been retired halfway through the second week, replaced with Obsidian Claw +2 and Wicked Edge +1. Obsidian Claw still had two more enhancements before it was maxed, while Wicked Edge was a new acqisition with seven enhancements altogether. He'd taken it off a quest boss just three days prior.

He watched other players utilizing the dual-weapons build, mostly in the attacking squads. The tanks kept their two-handed weapons and shield builds, but even then he could sometimes see Tiffany take a swing with his axe then while the cooldown time wore off he'd pull a little Dagger from his belt and lash out before doing it again.

Apparently, using two weapons in each hand was something that no one had tried in the beta for some reason, and Ichigo's newly-dubbed Dual Wielding had been christened the very first Outside-System Skill, which had been taken up enthusiastically by other Players. Ichigo had been pestered so much during the first week for tips on how to properly use the Skill that he eventually broke down and had a three-day long training seminar so his first class could teach others who were interested and leave him free to actually get to clearing the game.

Illfang's first HP bar blinked and went empty, and Ichigo was on the next Sentinel almost as soon as it spawned, driving a three-hit Trident home with Obsidian Claw while Wicked Edge deflected the rock-on-a-stick heading for his face. Stunned and wounded, the damn-fool of an add tried attacking again, only to get dusted by a set of powerful jaws clamping down on its neck.

Seeing that Artemis had it under control, Ichigo turned to find Kirito and Asuna working well with D-Squad before moving on to F-Squad to finish off the second wave of Ruin Kobold Sentinels.

Illfang's second and third HP bars went the same way as the first, and the next two waves of Sentinels fell just as easily as their predecessors, perhaps moreso once the Players got the hang of their attack patterns. Eventually, with the Kobold Lord's final HP gauge dropping past a third full, the true fight began.

With a mighty roar that actually netted a particularly nervous Player a bonus drop (Soiled Pants), Illfang tossed aside his axe and buckler before drawing the meter-and-a-half-long blade at the small of his back. It looked more like a Japanese blade than the Talwar he was supposed to possess, but Ichigo shrugged off that observation when Diavel stepped forward, activating a Sword Skill and telling everyone to stay back.

 _Something's wrong,_ Ichigo realized. _The plan was to attack_ en masse _at this point. What the fuck is Diavel doing?_

"Wait!" Kirito called out from across the long hall, but Diavel's attack had already begun, and it was impossible to abort a Sword Skill once it was initiated. Illfang dodged the bright cross-shaped bar of light Diavel swung at him and bounced off several of the pillars in the room with a grace most unfit for such a massive creature before cutting into Diavel and sending him into the air.

Before Illfang could cause Diavel anymore damage, Ichigo riccocheted off one of the pillars himself, gaining height enough to slide Obsidian Claw against the bottom of Illfang's sword and knock it just enough off course to miss the blue-haired Player. With reflexes born from frantic battles against beings who were vastly more powerful than him, Ichigo kicked Diavel's body toward Kirito and crossed his Daggers in front of him. Illfang hit him into another pillar like a baseball, and his STR stat was barely high enough to allow him to absorb the impact with only a small HP drop.

But he didn't have time to rest, and kicked off again a hair's breadth ahead of the huge blade crashing into the pillar, prompting a small Immortal Object notification to pop up briefly. Ichigo danced in and out of the Kobold Lord's strikes, scoring glancing blows whenever he saw an opening, but a shout of dismay from the raid group distracted him long enough for Illfang to score a heavy slash across Ichigo chest. He skipped back across the floor twice before getting his feet under him again and knelt as he snarled in annoyance. Artemis was beside him immediately, helping him to his feet.

"What happened?" he asked Asuna, who was a few feet from where he'd landed. "I heard a shout."

Asuna rolled her eyes. "Kibaou just learned that Diavel was a beta tester. He's stricken with heartbreak."

Ichigo grunted his acknowledgment. "Is Diavel alright?"

"He'll make it, but he's out of commission for now."

Nodding, Ichigo stood and called out, "Alright, follow my direction! I'll draw aggro and keep him occupied. Everyone else, when you see a chance...hit it 'til it dies!"

As Illfang stomped toward us, eyes moving as the algorithms that governed it decided who to kill first, Ichigo activated his newest Skill. With a guttural bellow, Ichigo felt Fighting Spirit take effect.

Technically a Combat Skill, Ichigo liked to think of it as more of a Support Skill. It worked by increasing his Hate Value for monsters, which was a little foolish, but it also granted any allies nearby a stat buff. At level 6, Fighting Spirit gave the raid part +3 for AGI and STR both for around a minute and a half, and with Illfang's HP bar so low, that would be more than enough.

Illfang's beady red eyes glared at him with enough intensity to roast a marshmallow, and roared as he swung down on Ichigo. Flowing to the side, Ichigo raced down the side of the blade and used both Daggers to stab into his joints viciously, using no Sword Skills to keep his momentum.

While he was busy keeping Illfang occupied, the rest of the assault team charged forward, hammering their heaviest Sword Skills into whatever part of Illfang they could reach and, in Artemis' case, biting and entangling his legs.

Sensing his impending doom, Illfang switched targets and swept his massive blade across the floor, kicking up sparks as he sent Players and Artemis flying everywhere. Snarling in anger, Ichigo stepped up Illfang's body like it was a jungle gym and drove a snap-kick into the boss' nose, causing him to stumble back.

"Leave them alone!" he shouted, stacking another Fighting Spirit onto the fading remnants of the last one and adding even more to his Hate Value.

With a terrifying howl, Illfang leapt toward him, probably intending to crush Ichigo under his not insignificant weight. Spinning, Ichigo dodged both legs, then the thrashing tail, and finally one last swing. Ichigo landed lightly on the flat of Illfang's blade and pushed off in the same breath. He speared through the air and rammed both of his Daggers into Illfang's ears. Below him, the last of the boss' HP vanished, and the Kobold Lord burst into ephemeral fragments that dissipated as well. A massive white square popped open that congratulated them all and described the Cor and EXP they would all be gaining.

A smaller rectangle revealed itself to Ichigo as well, claiming that he'd received the Last-Attack Bonus of the Coat of Midnight.

"We did it!" Klein exclaimed ecstatically. "We actually did it!"

Soon the cheer was taken up by the entire assault team, and everyone spent a good long while simply celebrating their victory. Eventually, to Ichigo's chagrin, Diavel pointed out that it had been the Stranger who had taken the reins when he'd been incapacitated and struck the final blow of the battle, prompting everyone to chant for a speech from him. Evidently, he was known for his speeches (even if it had only been that one damn time, the bastards...)

So he found himself standing on the dais Illfang had once occupied with a healed-up Artemis sitting regally at his side.

"I'll keep this short," Ichigo said, hoping they'd buy that. "We managed to take the first step in beating this game, but that doesn't mean we can get complacent. Every floor we ascend will be tougher than the last, and every boss we fight will be more powerful than Illfang. But we showed that together we can survive and win! So let's go and take the next step."

Ichigo turned and began to climb the steps to Floor Two. Dozens more foot-falls reached his ears, and he looked back to find the entire assault team following in his wake, with Kirito and Asuna just a half-step behind him.

Fighting the urge to smile triumphantly, Ichigo scrolled through his menu before he found his new armor and equipped the Coat of Midnight, feeling the long coat settle across his shoulders in a reassuringly familiar manner.

All he'd need now is a Two-Handed Straight Sword and he'd be golden.

* * *

 **After-Action Report:** And so, Illfang learns that all we are is dust in the wind, whether you be organic or digital. Like I said earlier, I'm not the best when it comes to action scenes, especially fighting sequences. I hope I didn't disappoint you all too much.

A couple more SAO Abridged shout-outs, since you all seemed to enjoy them so much. Agil's back story is canon, for those who didn't know, and I took his character's name from SAO and had a little fun with it. _Chocolate Axe_ will definitely be revisited.

Concerning Ichigo's level: after some research, I've concluded that Kirito was probably at around level nine or ten in canon when the assault team went up against Illfang, since a little while after that, on the second floor, he was level fourteen while Asuna was level twelve. Going by that, I figured that Ichigo would want to get back to his family at all costs while doing his best to protect whatever Players needed it, so he'd be grinding day and night. And since they spent an extra week on leveling due to an advanced level quota all around (Ichigo's a hell of a motivational speaker), I extrapolated.

The clearing will go much, _much_ faster than in canon, so expect an accelerated rate of leveling and time-skips from this point on.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and PMed. Speaking of which, several someones asked whether or not Ichigo would be paired up in this story. Several candidates were proposed, and while I considered all of them, in the end I decided that he won't be romantically involved with anyone in SAO.

I think that's it. I hope you enjoyed reading, if you've got any questions feel free to leave a review or send me a PM, and have a great day!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I may have failed to mention that the updates might not be in chronological order. For now, I'm just trying to finish the scenes I have and put them up for your reading enjoyment, then I'll go back and add more meat to the story. This chapter's not that long, it's actually one of the first I wrote in this 'universe', so to speak.

 **Disclaimer** and **Warnings** still apply from the first chapter.

* * *

Keiko

* * *

Keiko had known she was in trouble the moment she'd heard the Drunk Apes yowling in the underbrush, but the severity of the situation didn't fully sink in until her back crashed into the trunk of what had to be the sturdiest tree in Aincrad. She struggled to get up, but a traitorous part of her wondered why she should even try. Her meager repertoire of Sword Skills was less than useless; every time she managed a hit on those stupid monkeys, another would guard while the injured one took a swig from its gourd of healing whatever. Pina's healing breath could only fix so much of the damage they were inflicting on her, and without a party, there was no one to back her up so she could settle into the initial motion of her more powerful Skills.

 _Damn Rosalia for being such a bitch_ , she thought helplessly. _Damn those idiots for going along with that big-breasted cow. And damn myself for getting such a big head over being a beast tamer._ She was going to die here in the Wandering Forest with no one but Pina, and no one would ever be the wiser.

When the biggest, ugliest Drunk Ape raised its club, intent on smashing her into bits of glowing polygons, she heard Pina let out a pitifully weak cry as the feathered dragon raced in front of her, then the sickening crunch of tiny, digital bones snapping under massive blunt-force trauma.

"Pina!" she shrieked, forgetting for a moment that she was in mortal danger, forgetting Rosalia's cruel jabs, even forgetting this stupid death game she was trapped in. Pina was the only one she had been able to rely on in Aincrad, and now, with her health bar dropping faster than she could even register, Pina was going to die.

"No," Keiko cried, tears already leaking from her eyes. "Don't leave me here alone, Pina, please!"

The Little Feathered Dragon let out a squeak before her form started glowing brightly. Hope welled up in Keiko's chest as the light intensified. "Pina, are you evolving? Yes, that's it! Grow big and strong and we can ride away into the —"

Her brief moment of optimism was dashed against the harsh, unforgiving rocks of reality when her familiar's glimmering figure burst into motes of pixels, leaving a single feather behind that floated lazily into her hands.

She was dimly aware of the Drunk Apes bellowing far too close behind her, but what did it matter? Her only friend was gone, and soon she would be too. It was probably for the best anyway; she was just a weakling who would slow down any party she joined, and likely get them killed as well.

The monsters roared behind her again, but this time the pitch spoke of caution rather than triumph. Numbly, she turned around just in time to see a massive gray-and-white wolf tear into the clearing, fangs gleaming in the scant moonlight that filtered through the canopy. The deadly beautiful creature ripped through the Drunk Apes like they were wet tissue paper, and when the last one shattered, Keiko could only stare, wondering if she'd just been tossed out of the frying pan and straight into the fire.

Pale blue eyes turned on her as the wolf seemed to glide toward her with the grace only true predators possess, and Keiko shut her eyes tight in anticipation of the killing blow. Instead of being ripped to pieces, Keiko felt a big wet nose bump into her forehead, followed by an enormous tongue swiping up her face. She nearly let go of Pina's feather to wipe the slobber off her face, but managed to keep a tight grip on the last remnant of her best friend.

"Oi, you okay?"

Keiko whimpered and spun to face the speaker, a tall boy with orange hair and a scowl etched onto his face. He wore a black coat that trailed down to his calves, his mail-clad hands held a pair of wicked Dagger-class weapons while the hilt of a large Two-Handed Straight Sword peeked up over his left shoulder, and hovering behind him were two other players. One was a shorter boy with black hair and a navy-blue peacoat, a One-Handed Straight Sword with a bright blue blade at the ready. The other was a beautiful girl with honeyed hair and hazel eyes, wearing a magenta surcoat with a matching long skirt over pale golden half-armor and carrying a One-Handed Rapier.

Turning back to the orange-haired boy, she sniffled a little and nodded to indicate she was fine, but really she as far from it as possible.

Her turmoil must have shown on her face because he turned to his partners and said, "Kirito, Asuna, have a look around, I don't want any surprise visitors." The dark-haired boy made a noise of assent and vanished, while the girl hesitated a moment (piercing Keiko with a long, searching look) before taking off as well. The big wolf, meanwhile, circled around Keiko twice before settling her massive bulk on the ground, resting her head on Keiko's lap.

Belatedly, she realized that this player must be the Stranger. The pieces fit together snugly, after all; orange hair, all black gear, a humongous Dire Wolf, and accompanied by Kirito the Sapphire Swordsman and Asuna the Bloody Bolt. She'd been saved by probably the most famous players in the game, but the only thing she felt right now was a profound sense of loss.

"That feather," the Stranger said softly, and Keiko looked up, baffled. That voice and the one which had snapped her out of the despair she'd felt that first day in Aincrad were so radically different; it was incredibly jarring to hear them come from the same person. The Stranger's face still bore a frown, but it held no anger. Just frustration and sadness.

Keiko bit her lip to keep from sobbing. "What about it?"

"You're a Beast Tamer, right? That's your familiar's heart; it means you can still revive them."

That shocked her out of her gathering depression. "What!? No way!"

The Stranger nodded solemnly, crouching down to pat his wolf on the shoulder. The animal raised her head a bit, huffing softly, then dropped it back onto Keiko's legs, which were starting to go to sleep under the weight.

"When the assault team was taking on the Floor Forty-Five Boss, Artemis here died taking a hit for me, just like your familiar must have done tonight and left behind a fang as big as my fist," he said, grimacing for a moment as he relived that moment. "When the raid was over, an info broker I know told me a rumor about an item that can revive a familiar, but it was on the Floor Forty-Seven, and it could only be administered three days after the familiar's death."

Keiko could only feel terror at the words. The only item that could bring Pina back to her was on a Floor she couldn't possibly handle, and she only had three days...wait...

"You cleared a whole Floor in three days!?" she exclaimed. Obviously, he had, since the wolf was still alive, unless he'd gone all the way back to Floor One and tamed another Dire Wolf.

"Two and a half," the Stranger corrected. "It took another half a day to get to the Hill of Memories; we almost didn't make it." A fond smile had broken through his fierce scowl, and Keiko thought he actually looked rather handsome like that.

"But _you_ did," Keiko murmured, crestfallen.

"I suppose I did," he acknowledged, "with a lot of help from my comrades and friends. The item is called the Pneuma Flower, and it blooms once a day as long as there's a Beast Tamer nearby."

A few quick chimes made her glance up to find the Stranger holding a delicate-looking flower out to her. She gaped for a few moments, probably looking like a complete idiot as she read the item's name: Pneuma Flower.

"This is..." she began, but was unable to finish, her throat tightening painfully. He gently grasped her hand and pressed the stem into her palm.

"Hurry and revive her," the Stranger half-ordered. "We'll need to get you back to town soon; monsters are always stronger at night, 'specially those damn dirty apes." He straightened up and offered her an amused smirk. "And for the record, familiars don't evolve."

It was easy to take orders from the Stranger; he seemed to give off an aura of competence and confidence that reassured her immensely. She quickly moved Pina's feather under the flower and let the dew drop clinging to its petal fall upon it. The ensuing light forced her to close her eyes, and when she opened them again, there was Pina, blinking sluggishly as she stretched herself out.

Keiko couldn't help the joyful tears as she hugged her familiar tight, babbling nonsense to the little Feathered Dragon as she leapt to her feet and spun her friend around merrily. After a while, she remembered who it was to facilitate this reunion.

The Stranger was standing a way off, leaning against his own familiar. Both were wearing an oddly identical half smile as they watched on, and Keiko realized that this person knew exactly what she'd felt just minutes ago, but far worse. He might have lost his companion, and it was only through tireless effort on his part that other Beast Tamers like her wouldn't lose their partners.

"Thank you _so_ much, Stranger-san," she said, bowing as low as she could. She felt Pina crawl up to her usual perch and do the same. "I don't know how we can ever repay you."

"I'm Zangetsu, not Stranger," he answered gruffly. "And as for repayment...I have a request."

* * *

Once Rosalia and the rest of Titan's Hand had been crystal-warped to prison and their quartet (plus two familiars) were heading back to town, Keiko finally breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Zangetsu, Asuna, and Kirito were all front-liners, members of the illustrious assault team and at a higher level than most people she knew could ever hope to be, but her heart had still clenched painfully when she saw the three of them face an entire guild while she could only stand by and watch helplessly (though her anxiety had eased slightly after watching the complete thrashing her new friends had dished out to the orange guild).

"Silica," Zangetsu called her over, and she hurried to match his long-legged stride. "You're alright?"

Keiko couldn't help but giggle a bit at the worried tone snaking its way into his voice. "I'm fine," she answered, and meant it. She hadn't had this much fun in ages; she finally understood what it was like to have older siblings who wanted nothing more than to protect her and help her grow.

Zangetsu's eyes did that thing where they softened while still maintaining his almost omnipresent scowl. Over the last day and a half, Keiko had realized that Zangetsu was really just a big softie who hid behind a gruff attitude; it was especially noticeable when he talked with Kirito and Asuna, who the Stranger seemed to regard as younger siblings as well. Keiko had heard about the Big Brother Instinct before, but Zangetsu really took it to incredible levels.

"Good," he said, turning his gaze toward the setting sun. "The equipment we gave you should last quite a while, especially if you take proper care of it. There's a blacksmith named Lisbeth on the Floor above this one who does maintenance for our gear, I'm sure she'll give you a discount if you tell her we sent you."

He gestured toward the fields of multicolored vegetation that spread to the horizon. "You've leveled up enough today to be able to solo this floor easily with Pina, and you don't have to worry about a repeat of the Wandering Forest now you've got a Pneuma Flower of your own. Keep farming it for about a week and you should be a powerhouse in your own right."

By then, they had made it to the warp point, and her new friends began to say their goodbyes. Artemis, who had been snapping playfully at Pina as the little dragon orbited above her head, moved forward and gave Keiko a quick nuzzle.

"I agree," Kirito added confidently, raising his arm and clasping his biceps. "You've got good reflexes, Silica. It won't be long before you're fighting with us on the front-lines as well!"

Keiko didn't think she would take it _that_ far, but an image of her using Zangetsu's Dual Wielding Outside-System Skill to jab a floor boss in both its eyes was quite tempting nonetheless.

"Shut up, you two," Asuna scolded. "Let her do her own thing." She pulled Keiko into a one-armed embrace. "If you want to join the front-lines, that's up to you. There aren't nearly enough strong women to keep boneheads like these two in line, but if you want to take it easy, none of us will think any less of you. I bet Liz would be more than happy to take you on as an apprentice!"

The idea of becoming a merchant-class player didn't seem so bad, either, especially now that she could go out and farm good-quality ingredients and materials. Maybe being a blacksmith would be fun?

"There's also Ashley," Asuna continued. "She's the best seamstress in the game, and I've got an in with her, since I spend so much of my money at her shop!"

Keiko suddenly felt an indescribable rush of emotions that threatened to make her start crying, but she valiantly held it in. "I can't thank you three enough, for everything you've done for me."

Kirito gave her a small smile. "There's no need to thank us, Silica. We're just doing the best we can to make this game a little less terrible; that includes helping people. If you ever need anything, just give us a chime."

Asuna released her one-armed hold on Keiko only to lean down and fully embrace her. "Keep in touch, Silica. You're just way too adorable to stay away from now that we know you." Pina squawked indignantly, and Asuna laughed, reaching up to give the feathered dragon a perch. "Of course I mean you, too, you feathery ball of cuteness!"

Kirito and Asuna soon warped out, both with a smile and a promise to stay connected, leaving Zangetsu and Artemis to give their farewells.

"I mean what I said before," Zangetsu said. "You're a strong person, and I don't mean in skills or level. You have a kind heart, Silica, and despite your age, you've not given up yet." He gazed up at her familiar and added, "Stay vigilant, Pina. You've done fine work making sure she's safe so far; keep it up."

And with a small smile and a ruffle of her hair, Zangetsu and his familiar were gone as well.

For a few minutes after, Keiko was aware of various players she passed giving her odd looks as she walked by beaming, but she felt so happy she wouldn't wipe the smile off her face if she could. She had two big brothers and a big sister to watch out for her, and a vague plan for the future.

Before yesterday, all she'd wanted was a nice party to while away the time with until the assault team finally beat the game. Now, though, she was going to get strong, and find a way to help her newfound friends in their climb to the top of Aincrad. Kirito, Asuna, and Zangetsu had given Keiko back her purpose, and she wouldn't disappoint them by losing it again.

* * *

 **After-Action Report:** Again, not much to say about this chapter. The trio of Ichigo/Kirito/Asuna didn't just happen overnight after the Floor One Boss battle, rest assured. Kirito's, like, _super_ awkward at times which is justified, but it'll take more than partying up and laying down the smack on Illfang to break him out of his shell.

A guest reviewer going by the name **Anonymuse** has brought to my attention the fact that after the first floor boss battle, the front lines went up the floors weekly, and that it was physically impossible to clear the game faster. However, that was in canon. Ichigo's speech did more than just stop everyone from freaking the fuck out; it gave people hope and filled them with the zeal they needed to start getting better. Players who would have otherwise sat back in a nice little town on the First Floor instead took up their weapons and headed for the front. That means that with more Players, the Assault team could cycle in front-liners when clearing floors and fighting bosses, which prevents the sort of battle fatigue you're talking about. Butterflies and all that bullshit. Thank you very much, **Anonymuse** , for bringing up a great point. I hope my response is adequate.

Another reviewer, **Bad Habits** , pointed out that in the Light Novels the system makes it basically impossible for anyone to get beyond level ten on Floor One, making Ichigo's level twelve not just stupid, but thoroughly against canon grain. To this, I have no response, and I can only apologize to those LN readers. I seriously need to find those fucking things...

Anyway, thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and especially reviewed. There's a problem with FF.N's review system ( _again_ ), so I haven't been able to respond in PM, but I'm sure it'll be fixed soon so I'll hit you all up then. Any questions or comments regarding the story can be sent to me via review or PM, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you all for reading, and have a great day!


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